Evaluation and Assessment

When adopting a PBL approach, it is imperative to align learning outcomes and teaching and learning activities to the required assessment tasks, in order to encourage deeper learning (Biggs, 2003). This means a more holistic and divergent approach is needed, involving significant peer and self-assessment, student and teacher reflection throughout the process, more flexible, student-led content as well as opportunities for more traditional summative assessment.

The end of project assessment approach that you adopt will depend, to a certain extent, on the aim of the project and where it sits within your curriculum planning. If the focus is not on embedding subject critical content that is going to be assessed as part of end of year or even statutory exams, then your focus will probably be on assessing and evidencing broader skill development. We have termed this reflection-based assessment. If, however, your project is embedded in the curriculum with the intention of enabling your students to develop the key knowledge required to complete formal assessments, then you will need to ensure that these can be achieved, as well as the more holistic outcomes. We have termed this criteria- based assessment.

Developing skills using different assessment methods

• Role plays (e.g. meetings)

• Interviews

• YouTube web series

• Social media content (e.g. ‘takeovers’)

• Podcasts

• Field specific tasks (scout reports, video analysis)

• Displays

• Presentations

• Video calls

• Client consultations 

• Recognised outside learning

Meeting the BTEC assessment criteria with a PBL approach

Students need to develop a number of skills to meet the assessment criteria.  In this module, students had to confidently extract DNA and they were able to do this from different sources and analyse it effectively.  The visit to Teesside University supported the development of these skills.